Global Real Estate Strategy Director

Grant Thornton (US); Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 184,000 - 276,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Grant Thornton is seeking a Director, Global Real Estate to join the team. The Director owns the firm's global real estate strategy and portfolio, overseeing strategy, workplace design, transactions, and financial management of the global lease portfolio.

This is a strategy-and-oversight role partnering with Workplace Operations for place-based execution. The role leads governance, data analytics, and a partner-led delivery model, requiring strong executive communication and travel to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in real estate, business, architecture/engineering, or related field (advanced degree a plus).
• 10+ years of global corporate real estate experience within a multinational organization, including portfolio strategy and transactions oversight.
• Experience leading a partner-led delivery model (brokerage, design, and construction vendors).
• Strong financial acumen, including capital planning and project economics.
• Proven ability to provide strategic oversight of a global or multi-country portfolio.
• Excellent stakeholder-management and executive-communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the global real estate strategy, portfolio plan, and occupancy strategy aligned to firm growth and integration.
• Set workplace design standards and guardrails applied across the portfolio.
• Establish real estate governance, data, and analytics to support capital and occupancy decisions.
• Continuously evaluate and propose automation and AI adoption opportunities within real estate and design & construction processes.
• Own the transactions strategy and oversee execution through the firm's appointed real estate transactions partner.
• Oversee external design & construction partner relationships, ensuring best-in-class outcomes with fees charged to capital projects.
• Manage an outsource provider- and partner-first delivery model, holding partners accountable to performance and service standards.
• Own the global design standards, recommending changes in office designs and layouts per business needs.
• Ensure projects are delivered on scope, schedule, and budget, and to firm design standards.
• Establish metrics and targets for efficiency, cost, and customer satisfaction across the real estate portfolio.
• Build, monitor, and act on reports and dashboards that track performance and progress against targets.

Skills

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Travel (international & domestic)

Financial acumen

Education

Bachelor's degree in real estate, business, architecture/engineering

Job description

Grant Thornton is seeking a Director, Global Real Estate to join the team. The Director owns the firm's global real estate strategy and portfolio, overseeing strategy, workplace design, transactions, and financial management of the global lease portfolio.

This is a strategy-and-oversight role partnering with Workplace Operations for place-based execution. The role leads governance, data analytics, and a partner-led delivery model, requiring strong executive communication and travel to